In the face of a surging global population and mounting environmental crises, the current food system stands at a precarious crossroads. The persistent headline, “The world struggles to feed its growing population,” underscores a multifaceted challenge defined by inefficient food production and distribution, pervasive food waste, and glaring inequities in access to nutritious diets. Underpinning these issues are systemic flaws that extend beyond food scarcity, encompassing environmental degradation, biodiversity loss, and escalating greenhouse gas emissions. This convergence of ecological and social crises is deepening food insecurity and threatening the very genetic resources critical for future agricultural resilience.
Recent data from 2024 presents a sobering reality: in Africa alone, over one billion people, representing two-thirds of the population, are unable to access or afford a healthy diet consistently. This dramatic rise in food insecurity highlights the widening gap between agricultural output and nutritional needs. Globally, malnutrition continues to disproportionately affect vulnerable groups, especially children and women, perpetuating cycles of poverty and ill health. This endemic undernutrition calls for urgent systemic transformations that address both the quality and availability of food.
One of the most startling indicators of systemic vulnerability lies in the narrow genetic base upon which global food security depends. Just three staple crops—rice, maize, and wheat—contribute nearly two-thirds of the world’s caloric intake. Although these commodities supply sufficient calories, their limited nutrient diversity fosters poor health outcomes and fails to meet the complex dietary requirements of diverse populations. This overreliance on a handful of crops leaves the global food system susceptible to pests, diseases, and climate shocks, amplifying risks of supply disruptions.
Adding to this complexity is the industrial scale at which these staple crops are produced. Reliant on heavy applications of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, intensive farming practices accelerate environmental degradation. The consequence is a cascade of harmful effects including soil erosion, water pollution, loss of soil biodiversity, and contribution to climate change through greenhouse gas emissions. These practices also contribute to the alarming rate of species extinction, eroding ecosystem services essential for sustainable agriculture.
Acknowledging the fractured state of the planetary food system, a coalition of experts convened at the 2025 Africa Food Systems Forum (AFSF) Annual Summit in Dakar, Senegal, to inaugurate a pivotal initiative aimed at realigning agricultural priorities. This initiative centers around the launch of a manifesto advocating for the revitalization of agrobiodiversity—the variety and variability of animals, plants, and microorganisms used directly or indirectly for food and agriculture. The manifesto emerges as a groundbreaking framework designed to shift agrifood paradigms toward inclusivity, sustainability, and resilience.
Central to this shift is the recognition that transforming global food systems requires a deliberate embrace of biodiversity on our plates and in our fields. The manifesto underscores the necessity of reintegrating underutilized and neglected crops, known for their nutritional value and adaptability, into mainstream agriculture. Such crops have historically been marginalized by industrial agriculture but hold promise for enhancing dietary diversity, strengthening climate resilience, and supporting local livelihoods.
The manifesto’s origins trace back to the third International Agrobiodiversity Congress held recently in Kunming, China, where over 800 participants from 60 countries gathered to forge a collective vision. This scientific and policy-oriented forum produced a comprehensive synthesis of global contributions to agrobiodiversity debates. It highlighted a spectrum of real-world examples demonstrating that embracing agrobiodiversity yields measurable benefits, including improved diets, bolstered food security, and healthier ecosystems.
A leading voice advocating for this paradigm shift is the Director of Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture at a major international research alliance. Emphasizing the urgency for cross-sectoral collaboration, the director stresses that stakeholders—ranging from farmers and practitioners to policymakers, researchers, government bodies, funders, agribusinesses, and distributors—must unite to actualize the manifesto’s goals. Effective policy frameworks, robust scientific research, and market incentives will be crucial in elevating agrobiodiversity from an afterthought to a mainstream strategy.
The manifesto also challenges existing international environmental governance structures, calling for agrobiodiversity to assume a prominent role in the Rio Conventions addressing climate change, biodiversity, and desertification. Currently marginalized within these fora, agrobiodiversity offers a potent, yet underleveraged, tool to address the persistent challenges these conventions face. Integrating agrobiodiversity into global policy dialogues could precipitate transformative actions that align conservation, climate adaptation, and sustainable development goals.
Indigenous and local communities stand out within the manifesto as pivotal custodians of agrobiodiversity. These communities, often sidelined or displaced by the modernization of agriculture, steward rich repositories of traditional knowledge and biodiversity. Recognizing and empowering these stewards through inclusive policies, research collaborations, and enhanced market access mechanisms are imperative to fostering resilient food systems that reflect cultural diversity and ecological intelligence.
The manifesto intricately explores the intersectionality of agrobiodiversity with climate resilience, ecosystem health, nutrition, economic livelihoods, and social equity. It confronts contentious issues such as agricultural productivity and the complexities of investment and market demand. Contrary to detractors’ concerns, the manifesto proposes that productivity can be enhanced through targeted research, supportive policies, and strategic funding allocation.
A particularly insightful argument highlights the significant subsidies currently funnelled into conventional agriculture, suggesting a potential reallocation toward agrobiodiversity initiatives could unlock unprecedented benefits for people and the planet. This redirection would reinforce sustainable soil and water management practices, mitigating environmental damage while promoting diversified agricultural landscapes.
Illustrative case studies from diverse regions worldwide bolster the manifesto’s recommendations. These include community seed banks in East Africa that have provided tens of thousands of people with sustained seed security, increased access to nutritious foods, and generated substantial economic returns from agrobiodiverse products. Such examples showcase tangible successes with scalable potential, contingent on enhanced engagement from donors, policymakers, and the private sector.
While acknowledging that agrobiodiversity alone cannot solve the systemic inequities embedded in today’s food systems, the manifesto underscores its unique capacity to foster multistakeholder collaboration. By leveraging locally available biodiversity, communities can rapidly realize nutritional, environmental, and economic gains. These benefits serve as compelling evidence for the broader adoption and integration of agrobiodiversity principles in global agrifood strategies.
This manifesto signals a watershed moment, urging a reimagining of food systems that transcends conventional paradigms. The integration of agrobiodiversity emerges not merely as a technical fix, but as a holistic approach capable of simultaneously addressing nutrition security, climate adaptation, environmental preservation, and social justice. The path forward calls for collective action grounded in science, indigenous wisdom, and inclusive policy innovation.
As the global community grapples with escalating food crises, environmental breakdown, and social disparities, the call for urgent transformation has never been more pressing. The manifesto provides a blueprint for such transformation, encouraging stakeholders to break free from entrenched models and embrace the rich potential of agrobiodiversity as a cornerstone for resilient and equitable food systems of the future.
Subject of Research: Agrobiodiversity and its role in transforming global food systems to enhance food security, nutrition, environmental sustainability, and social equity.
Article Title: The Kunming Manifesto: A Global Call to Revitalize Agrobiodiversity for Food System Transformation
News Publication Date: 2025 (as per the 2025 Africa Food Systems Forum)
Web References:
- Third International Agrobiodiversity Congress: https://alliancebioversityciat.org/stories/living-harmony-calls-inclusive-agrobiodiversity-policies
Image Credits: Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT
Keywords: Agrobiodiversity, food security, nutrition, environmental sustainability, climate resilience, biodiversity loss, indigenous knowledge, sustainable agriculture, food systems transformation
